Friday, December 17, 2010Heading To Gaza, Asia Convoy Arrives In TurkeyIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Saturday December 18, 2010 - 04:36, The Asia solidarity convoy heading to the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian supplies arrived in in Turkey on Friday after it left Iran on its way to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged coastal region. Thousands greeted the activists and chanted in support of Palestine.

PLC Head Calls For Releasing Political PrisonersIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Saturday December 18, 2010 - 04:00, Head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLS), Dr. Aziz Dweik of the Hamas movement, called on the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank to release all political prisoners in order to create a positive atmosphere for internal unity and reconciliation talks.

Child Killed As Army Chases Fishing Boats Near Rafah ShoreIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Saturday December 18, 2010 - 03:38, A 15-year-old Palestinian child was killed on Friday evening after the Israeli Navy chased a fishing boat close to the Rafah shore, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; the boat flipped over after the army opened fire at it.

Dozens Injured By Tear Gas at Weekly Protests; Palestinian Shot With Tear Gas CanisterIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Friday December 17, 2010 - 16:54, On Friday, dozens of people were treated from the ill effects of tear gas inhalation, as a result of inhaling said gas during the weekly nonviolent protests against the wall in the villages of Bil'in, Nil'in and al-Ma’sara. Also n an-Nabi Saleh, a Palestinian young was injured after being hit in his head with a tear gas canister; no arrests were reported.

Limits Set on the Stipends for Yeshiva StudentsIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Friday December 17, 2010 - 16:27, On Sunday's Parliamentary session, the Knesset pretends to limit to five years the stipends that yeshiva students receive from the government, Haaretz reported.

Clashes Erupt in Silwan, Live Ammunition FiredIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Friday December 17, 2010 - 14:24, The Wadi Hilwah Information Center, based in Silwan, East Jerusalem, are reporting the use of live ammunition by Israeli soldiers, on Friday.

EU-PA Social Assistance Allowance PaidIMEMC - 17 Dec 2010 - Friday December 17, 2010 - 13:20, The European Union, on Thursday, announced it, along with the PA, made a joint social services allowance payment, Ma'an News said.

Gaza teen dead after Israel fires on fishing boat12/17/2010 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian boy died Friday afternoon after Israeli gunboats opened fire on his fishing boat and flipped it over off the coast of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said 15-year-old Ziad Samir Al-Bardawil died after being treated for his injuries at....

Israel extends detention of Sheikh Jarrah teen12/17/2010 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli police extended by one day the detention of Ayman Al-Ghawi, 19, from the East Jerusalem of Shiekh Jarrah, his family reported Thursday. Al-Ghawi was detained while he was with his mother in the nearby Wadi Aj-Joz neighborhood after an Israeli settler living in the occupied area filed a complaint against....

Clashes erupt in Silwan12/17/2010 - JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Young residents of East Jerusalem fathered near a protest tent in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan on Friday and said they were harassed and assaulted by a patrolling force of Israeli border guards, sparking clashes. One young man said he and friends gathered in the area as a show of solidarity....

Bolivia recognizes Palestinian state12/17/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Bolivia announced Friday its recognition of a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Israel. President Evo Morales made the announcement in Brazil at a conference with regional leaders, Bolivia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said." Bolivia recognizes the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, like Brazil and Argentina....

Gaza crossings closed; exports remain limited12/17/2010 - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Crossing terminals for the transfer of aid and commercial goods into Gaza were closed by Israeli officials on Friday, cutting short the planned transport week by one day, Palestinian liaison officers said. During the previous week of crossings activity, the bulk goods terminal was remarkably open three days in a....

Demonstrations across the West Bank12/18/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Dozens of demonstrators inhaled tear gas which was fired at them by Israeli forces during peaceful marches around the West Bank on Friday, onlookers said. A demonstration in Al-Ma'sara, near Bethlehem, was launched from a school in the village toward the separation wall. Israeli forces were waiting at the....

Report: Shin Bet to compensate PFLP member for torture12/17/2010 - TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- In what Israeli media called "an unusual move," the country's internal security service the Shin Bet reportedly agreed to compensate a Palestinian man disabled while under torture by the service's investigators. The victim, identified by Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz as Jamal Al-Hindi, was detained in....

PA settlement observer says gov't confiscated car12/18/2010 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Palestinian official in charge of the settlement file in the northern West Bank Ghassan Daghlas said Friday that a government decision would see his official vehicle confiscated. Daghlas, who monitors and reports on settler violence, settlement expansions and related tensions, said the decision followed a cabinet decision pushed through by Prime....

Hebron woman detained12/17/2010 - HEBRON (Ma'an) - Israeli troops detained on Thursday a young woman near the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron and took her to an unknown location, witnesses said. Friends identified the woman as 30-year-old Rania Abu Samra, and said she was accused of attempting to stab a soldier near the mosque....

In photos: Women’s union does Christmas12/17/2010 - MaanImages / Luay Sababa - The Arab Women's Union in Bethlehem organized a Christmas event on 16 December, hosting the city's children of prisoners and those slain by Israeli forces. More than 120 children were handed gifts and got visits with Santa. The event, held annually, was attended by the wife of Turkish....

Israeli court sentences Nablus woman12/17/2010 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israel's military court at Salem in the northern West Bank sentenced Taghreed Abu Ghulmeh to six months in prison and a 2,000-shekel ($557) fine on Thursday, lawyers said. Taghreed was taken from her home in Beit Furiq, in the Nablus district, on 15 June 2010 and has remained....

France gives Lebanon anti-tank missiles12/17/2010 - BEIRUT (AFP) -- France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a government official said on Friday, confirming a deal that raised concerns in Israel and the United States earlier this year." Prime Minister Saad Hariri was informed on Wednesday of the French decision to supply the army with 100. . . HOT missiles that will be used by....

Egypt detains 15 migrants en route to Israel12/18/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Egyptian police on Friday detained 15 African migrants caught en route to Israel. Egyptian sources said they were holding intensive operations to search for migrants in the Sinai. According to Israeli statistics, more than 150,000 migrants succeeded in reaching Israel during the last five years....

EU, PA make joint social services allowance payment12/17/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A combined payment of €11. 5 million will see over 56,400 Palestinian families in need receive their social assistance benefits, the European Union announced on Thursday. The payment, in the past three years totally funded by the EU, was one of the first jointly funded initiatives. Palestinian Minister for Social....

Ashton: Two-state solution needs 'urgent progress'12/17/2010 - BRUSSELS, Belgium (Ma'an) -- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton said Thursday that she believed "urgent progress is needed towards a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that ends the occupation that began in 1967." Ashton made the statement following a meeting with US special envoy to the peace process George....

Slovakia delivers $400,000 in medical aid to PA12/17/2010 - NABLUS (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health announced Thursday that it received a shipment of equipment and medical supplies with an estimated value of some $400,000. The donation came from the Slovakian government's Department of Crisis Management and Civil Protection under the country's Ministry of the....

Hamas leader says time is on our side12/17/2010 - GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Palestinians have time in their fight for a state, and a victory will come through nation-building rather than military confrontation with Israel, a senior Hamas leader said."We are not in a hurry to buy or to sell our national interest because this is not the proper market," Mahmud Zahar told AFP....

Erekat 'deeply regrets' US House resolution12/17/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Friday he "deeply regrets" a resolution passed by the US House of Representatives opposing unilateral measures to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."We have devoted ourselves to negotiations for nearly two decades and today we are trapped in a framework that thus far has not yet lifted....

Malta pledges assistance to Gaza Strip refugees12/17/2010 - GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Maltese Foreign Minister Tonio Borg on Friday promised during a visit to the Gaza Strip to donate funds to the UN agency caring for Palestinian refugees. Speaking at the end of a three-day tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories, Borg said he had met businessmen who complained they still faced shortages....

Cyprus, Israel define sea border for energy search12/17/2010 - NICOSIA (AFP) -- Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement Friday that defines their sea border and allows the neighbours to forge ahead in the search for energy sources in the eastern Mediterranean. The agreement, which delineates an exclusive economic zone between the two countries, was signed in Nicosia by Cypriot Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou and Israeli....

Cabinet to establish permanent union liaison12/17/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Secretary-General of the Palestinian Authority cabinet Na'im Abu Al-Hums announced Thursday the formation of a permanent liaison commission assigned with ensuring union concerns are addressed regularly in an effort to avoid some of the crippling strikes that have caused dozens of days of closure for schools, hospitals and clinics....

Report: PA suspects Dahlan recruiting militia12/17/2010 - TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- Former Fatah top man in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan reportedly recruited, paid and intended to command a new militia in the West Bank, a report in Israel's daily newspaper Haaretz said on Friday. According to the report, the plan was uncovered by Palestinian Authority security agents who questioned men....

Police detain 'escaped collaborator'12/17/2010 - RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian police detained on Friday an escaped prisoner in Ramallah who was sentenced to life in jail for collaboration with the enemy. Police said they acted on a tip that the unidentified prisoner was in a village near Ramallah. Police detained the man with the assistance of national security forces. Police....

Egyptian cinema boosted by new directors12/17/2010 - DUBAI (AFP) - Under the leadership of new directors, Egyptian cinema seems to have started to bounce back after two decades marked by low production and quality, films screening at a Dubai festival and elsewhere show. Egyptian film production fell from about 85 movies a year in the 1980s to 16 by the end of the....

Hyena population growing 'out of control' near Hebron12/17/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Police in Hebron recently told residents they would be unable to assist with a recent expansion of the hyena population because they have to seek authorization from Israeli officials first. The increase in the number of wild animals around the town of Halhoul, midway between Bethlehem and Hebron, has resulted in....

Dutch FM: Ties with Israel are like our bond with NATOHa'aretz - Uri Rosenthal, a son of Holocaust survivors and married to an Israeli, stresses that his Jewish background and Israeli link don't affect his decisions., Voice of Lebanon radio attributes explosion on Wednesday to Israeli Air Force after finding espionage cameras with Hebrew lettering near Beirut., General Delegation in U.S. says Palestinians' right to 'freedom and self-determination is not contingent on the approval of the state of Israel.'

WikiLeaks' lesson on HaitiUruknet December 17, 2010 - ...One area of US foreign policy that the WikiLeaks cables help illuminate, which the major media has predictably ignored, is the occupation of Haiti. In 2004, the country's democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was overthrown for the second time, through an effort led by the United States government. Officials of the constitutional government were jailed...

Report details hopeless conditions in GazaUruknet December 17, 2010 - Residents of Gaza see no hope for a brighter future -- and that's one of the most distressing aspects of the situation in the Middle East, according to an international Christian aid-and-development group’s advocacy officer for the region. Hanan Elmasu of the United Kingdom-based organization Christian Aid worked on a new briefing detailing the impact...

Gaza teen dead after Israel fires on fishing boatUruknet December 17, 2010 - A Palestinian boy died Friday afternoon after Israeli gunboats opened fire on his fishing boat and flipped it over off the coast of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said 15-year-old Ziad Samir Al-Bardawil died after being treated for his injuries at the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital...

Israel leaves us no choice but to boycottUruknet December 17, 2010 - Israel's deputy minister of foreign affairs, Danny Ayalon, paints a picture of an innocent Israel yearning for peace, virtually begging the intransigent Palestinians to come negotiate so there can be a "two-states-for-two-peoples solution" ("Who's stopping the peace process?" Dec. 14). But it's one that bears no resemblance to the realities Palestinians experience and much of...

Derail Israel's Unlawful A1 Train Project– End International ComplicityUruknet December 17, 2010 - Israel's A1 high-speed train project designed to connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv violates international humanitarian law and human rights law. The A1 rail project forms a component of Israel's ongoing plans to cement its regime of occupation, colonial rule and apartheid over the Palestinian people, particularly in the occupied West Bank. It constitutes yet another...

Military Violence in the Hebron HillsUruknet December 17, 2010 - The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj - Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction. The demolitions follow a pattern of destruction of Palestinian property by the Israeli military in Area C, as defined by the Oslo Accords. Rather than...

US Senate calls for diplomatic campaign against recognition of a Palestinian stateUruknet December 17, 2010 - The US Senate has called on the Obama administration to launch a diplomatic campaign "to convince the world not to recognise a Palestinian state, in case the matter is presented to the UN Security Council." The Senate confirmed its opposition to any attempt by the Security Council to recognise a Palestinian state on the 1967...

Resisting an ideology of inequality: Jody McIntyre interviewedUruknet December 17, 2010 - Over the past month, journalist and activist Jody McIntyre has joined a growing number of students, workers, activists and others in the United Kingdom in protesting a government decision to cut public sector funding, especially in the field of education. Last week, as tens of thousands of students took to the streets of central London,...

Palestinian Women Suffer Harsh Violations in Israeli JailsUruknet December 17, 2010 - The P.A. spokesman in Gaza denounced, on Thursday, Israeli jailers for their treatment of Palestinian female prisoners, who suffer harsh and systematic violations, the Palestinian Information Centre reported. Riyadh al-Ashqar, spokesman of the P.A. ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners in Gaza City, commented on the sever treatment against Palestine women held captive in Israeli jails...

Shin Bet to Compensate PFLP Member After TortureUruknet December 17, 2010 - The Shin Bet security service agreed to compensate a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine for torturing him in what the Haaretz daily newspaper called "an unusual move," sources reported on Friday. The Palestinian man, reportedly identified as Jamal al-Hindi, is due to receive an undisclosed amount of compensation for partial...

Israel - Poll: 55% back rabbis' anti-Arab rulingUruknet December 16, 2010 - A significant segment of Israel's adult Jewish population agrees with a religious ruling forbididng Jews from selling or renting apartments to Arabs or other non-Jews, according to a recent survey commissioned by Ynet and the Gesher organization. The controversial ruling was issued by a group of 50 municipal rabbis. Some 55% of those polled said...

A Third Way to PalestinePalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Robert Danin, Foreign Affairs - Palestinian leaders first embraced armed struggle and then turned to negotiations. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has now initiated a third, pragmatic stage of Palestinian nationalism by building institutions and counting down...

France to supply Lebanon with 100 anti-tank missilesPalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Arabiya - France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a government official said on Friday, confirming a deal that raised concerns in Israel and the United States earlier this year. "Prime Minister Saad Hariri was informed...

Last throw of the dice for Mideast peace, experts sayPalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Deutsche Welle - A new round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East took place this week as US envoy George Mitchell tries to restart peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. However, regional experts remain...

Radical Islamists defy Gaza's Hamas rulersPalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Arabiya - Radical Islamist factions are challenging Hamas's rule in the Gaza Strip, denouncing a de facto ceasefire with Israel and accusing the group of failing to uphold Islamic law. Though small in numbers, the groups...

Report: PA suspects Dahlan recruiting militiaPalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Maan - Former Fatah top man in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan reportedly recruited, paid and intended to command a new militia in the West Bank, a report in Israel's daily newspaper Haaretz said on Friday. According to...

Hamas leader says time is on our sidePalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Maan - Palestinians have time in their fight for a state, and a victory will come through nation-building rather than military confrontation with Israel, a senior Hamas leader said. "We are not in a hurry to...

Bolivia recognizes Palestinian statePalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Maan - Bolivia announced Friday its recognition of a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Israel. President Evo Morales made the announcement in Brazil at a conference with regional leaders, Bolivia's Foreign Affairs...

Gaza Mends, but Israelis See Signs of TroublePalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - New York Times - The shops are full of Israeli food and clothes but most people here can barely afford them. Construction projects — sewage treatment plants, schools — are getting started but far fewer than...

Arab League Will Go to Security Council on SettlementsPalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Refuses Direct Negotiations Without “Real Offer” Yahoo News - Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday rejected more Palestinian-Israeli peace talks without a "serious offer" and said they will seek a UN Security Council resolution against Israeli settlement...

Leapfrogging barriers to a two state dealPalestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - I'm coming out of the closet as a fan of David Makovsky . Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East...

Season for Jews, Christians and Muslims to look back at 2010Palestine Note 17 Dec 2010 - Amman - At the time of Eid ul-Adha, which marks the end of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca; Hanukkah, when Jews commemorate the dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; and Christmas, when Christians celebrate the...

US House opposes declaration of Palestinian statePalestine Note 16 Dec 2010 - Maan - The US House of Representatives late Wednesday approved a measure condemning unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, and backing a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The House measure comes after...

Arabs rule out new peace talksPalestine Note 16 Dec 2010 - Al Jazeera - Arab foreign ministers have said there will be no more negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis unless the United States makes a "serious offer" for resolving the conflict. "The negotiation track between the...

Norway upgrades PLO mission, supports statehoodPalestine Note 16 Dec 2010 - Maan - Norway's foreign ministry announced Wednesday that the status of the Palestinian representative's office in Oslo would be upgraded to a diplomatic mission as part of an effort of the scandanavian nation to support Palestinian...

Incapable of Making PeacePNN - By Daoud Kuttab - If the past three months have proved one thing it is that the present Israeli government is not ready or willing to take the minimum steps needed for...

Dr. Erakat "Deeply Regrets" US House Resolution 1765PNN - Bethlehem – PNN - Chief Palestinian negotiator Dr. Saeb Erakat stated on Friday that he “deeply regrets” the resolution passed by the United States House of Representatives opposing international efforts at resolving...

Dutch FM: Ties with Israel are like our bond with NATOHa'aretz 17 Dec 2010 - Uri Rosenthal, a son of Holocaust survivors and married to an Israeli, stresses that his Jewish background and Israeli link don't affect his decisions., Voice of Lebanon radio attributes explosion on Wednesday to Israeli Air Force after finding espionage cameras with Hebrew lettering near Beirut., General Delegation in U.S. says Palestinians' right to 'freedom and self-determination is not contingent on the approval of the state of Israel.'

Palestinians: Navy killed teenYNet News - A 15-year-old Palestinian drowned to death near the Rafah shore after his fishing boat was shot at by Navy forces, Gaza sources reported late Friday. The IDF’s .......

Bolivia recognizes Palestinian stateYNet News - Fourth state endorses ‘Palestine’: Bolivia announces Friday that it is officially and fully recognizing the Palestinian state in line with the 1967 borders, according to .......

France gives Lebanon anti-tank missilesYNet News - France will give Lebanon 100 anti-tank missiles, a government official said on Friday, confirming a deal that raised concerns in Israel and the United States earlier .......

Nasrallah: We’re not scared of IsraelYNet News - Last week, a senior IDF officer told Yedioth Ahronoth that Hezbollah faces the gravest crisis in its history. The army official warned: “Should a new war break out, the .......

Palestinian land appropriated for trainYNet News - The Civil Administration has decided to appropriate about 12 acres of land from the Palestinian village of Beit Iksa, located near the Ramot neighborhood and the .......

Two million throng Iraq's Karbala for Ashura finaleDaily Star 17 Dec 2010 The Palestinian Authority Friday said it regretted a US House of Representatives decision to oppose any unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, a day after it requested pressed European countries to commit to...

Palestinians 'regret' US House move against stateDaily Star 17 Dec 2010 The Palestinian Authority Friday said it regretted a US House of Representatives decision to oppose any unilateral measures to declare or recognize a Palestinian state, a day after it requested pressed European countries to commit to...

Khamenei blames West for suicide bombing at Iran mosqueDaily Star 17 Dec 2010 Iran's supreme leader Friday blamed the West for a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque this week, saying the country's enemies were trying to divide Muslims and halt its nuclear activities.The Sunni militant group Jundallah, or...

Military Violence in the Hebron HillsPalestine Monitor - The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj - Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction. The demolitions follow a pattern of destruction of Palestinian property by the Israeli military in Area...

State Department says it has ‘raised’ Rahmah case with Israelis…Mondoweiss - We have just learned that Matthew Lee of AP again raised the Abdallah Abu Rahmah case this afternoon at the State Department, and the following dialogue ensued, with Ass't Sec'y P.J. Crowley: Crowley: We have raised this case with the Israeli government. We continue to follow...

Jeffrey Goldberg likens BDS movement to Nazi Germany policiesMondoweiss - If you can’t beat ‘em, smear ‘em. And throw in the word Nazi for good measure. As the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement continues full-steam ahead in its efforts to force Israel to comply with international law, pro-Israel hawks are increasingly attempting to link the...

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